Sudan head accused of war crimes

Sudan says an indictment of Mr Bashir would harm any prospects of pea

Sudan's president has been accused of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.

Luis Moreno-Ocampo told judges at The Hague that Omar al-Bashir bore criminal responsibility for alleged atrocities committed over the past five years.

The three-judge panel must now decide whether there are reasonable grounds for an arrest warrant to be issued.

Sudan's government has warned the move will undermine peace process in Darfur.

The country does not recognise the ICC and has refused to hand over two suspects who Mr Moreno-Ocampo charged last year, Humanitarian Affairs Minister Ahmad Harun and militia leader Ali Kushayb.

It has also labelled Mr Moreno-Ocampo a criminal, and warned that any indictment could stall peace talks and cause mayhem in Sudan.

I am big proponent of the ICC, and I was particularly disappointed when George W. removed former president Clinton's signature from the Rome Statute. Bashir no doubt deserves to be prosectued for war crimes--the evidence of his complicity in the Darfur gencoide is pretty clear. But I am not sure that this is the best time for the international community to make a legal move. Critics are probably right to suggest that the indictment could overturn the peace process and endanger peacekeepers on the ground. So, while I am all for the indictment in theory, it seems an unwise move unless the international community is ready to signifcantly beef up the international peacekeeping force or make some other move to end the conflict. Otherwise, it would be best to wait--they can always get him later.